Disney’s Dana Walden on Kids, Streaming, International and ‘Shofirearm’

Disney is seeing at recent ways to join youthful fans, Dana Walden tbetter the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference on Tuesday. Walden, the co-chairman of Disney Entertainment at the Walt Disney Co., tbetter media analyst Ben Striumphburne that the company is aiming to center kids and youthful families on the social media platestablishs where they use a lot of satisfied — especipartner YouTube.

“They’re evidently on YouTube,” Walden said. “And we have a uncomardentingful and fantastic partnership with YouTube. We produce thousands of videos based on our series particularpartner for YouTube. Disney Junior, I leank, has 22 million subscribers. We do that becaengage we understand that’s where kids enjoy to use satisfied. Alengthy with Disney+, we want to grasp them joind. We want to grasp incubating IP on a platestablish that’s transport inant to creators and kids.”

To that finish, Walden hinted at “the toil we’re doing now, although I have noleang particular to proclaim on the technology side, are features that will particularpartner insertress how kids are participateing with satisfied right now in a very conmomentary way… seeing hoenumerateicpartner at that kids audience, we understand we have the stories that they cherish. We’re toiling on the technology that will apexhibit them to join with them in a in the way they want.”

Beyond that, Walden touched on the upcoming begin of the ESPN over-the-top service — currently dubbed “ESPN Flagship” — which will feature the ESPN nettoils outside of the cable bundle for the first time, in insertition to ESPN+. Walden recommended ESPN boss Jimmy Pitaro would have more recommendation, but inserted, “I’ve seen a little bit and it’s incredibly exciting. The recent features that they’ll transport to taget with the begin of Flagship, I leank are repartner going to blow people away.”

Walden inserted that sports is also an transport inant element for Disney+, especipartner now that the service includes an ESPN tile (which features programming enjoy “30 For 30”). “It’s of enormous cherish to these subscribers,” she said. “It’s over 3000 hours of lengthy establish programming. And then yesterday, we actupartner begined someleang I’m very excited about, which is SC+. It is a daily ‘SportsCaccess’ show produced by SportsCaccess and ESPN. It is going to help us, I leank, to include people who are casual sports fans in this conversation that is evidently dominating cultures around the world. A daily touch point for sports on Disney+, a reason every day to uncover the app.”

Touting the Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ recommendings, Walden said the company was “enormously conceited of all we’ve accomplished in streaming, especipartner over the past two years. As you well understand, not too lengthy ago, we were losing over a billion dollars a quarter. We are now profitable, growing revenue and dedwellring, with visibility towards double digit margins.” That includes the recent begin of Hulu on Disney+. “It’s an exceptional cherish for subscribers,” she said. “It’s driving joinment… and caengage for innervous chooseimism about our future.”

On the international front, Walden also sees “tremfinishous opportunity” for growth: “It’s still a very youthful platestablish. We’re toiling on our local distincts so that we have satisfied around the world that is relevant to local subscribers, alengthy with our huge global hits. Our company is producing and releasing in streaming a huge number of hits that travel around the world.

“Creating a pipeline of satisfied consents some time, but the fantastic recents is, in each of the regions, we set up bonafide hits,” she said. “For example, in Korea last year, we freed a show called ‘Moving’ that signed up over a million and a half subscribers and produced a huge event in that taget — alengthy with all of the rest of the satisfied from the United States. We’re doing local for local, and then local for regional, and then global for the whole world.”

As for domestic hits, Walden pointed to the tremfinishous success of FX’s “Shofirearm,” which has equitable finishd an astonishive Season 1 string of triumphs at the Emmys, Gbetteren Globes, Critics Choice, SAG Awards and more. And, with the producers’ room now wrapped for Season 2, foresee firm recents on the next season very soon.

“We enjoy to bake it nurturebrimmingy,” she said. “We will not free the Season 2 until it’s ready.”